Means for supporting the skid bars or like elements in sawmills



Dec. 31, 1929. G. M. PELToN 1,

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE SKID BARS OR LIKE ELEMENTS IN SAWMILLS Filed Aug. 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P l I l l l I l @u/e/zioz 5 0/76 7 6 Z2021 W WM MW /zzyp.

Dec. 31, 1 29. G. M. PELTON 1,741,951

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE SKID BARS OR LIKE ELEMENTS IN SAWMILLS Filed Aug. 26 1925 2 SheetsSheet 2 MMM {WM Patented Dec. 31, 19.29

UNITED STATES PATNT GEORGE IPELTON, lVIILXVAUKEE, WISCONSXN, ASSIGNUB TO THE FILER & STOXVELL 00., OF MILVTAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN MEANS FOR SUPPORTING TI-IE SKID BAR-S OB LIKE ELEMENTS IN SAWMILLS Application filed August 26, 1925.

elements in sawmills.

In sawmills the logs are placed upon the log deck and discharged therefrom with considerable force by means of the logfloader and caused to roll over the skid bars and upon the log carriage, the latter being provided with dogs for holding the log and being mounted on wheels for reciprocatory movement along a suitable track laid at right angles to the skidbars. After the log has been cut the desired amount, the skid bars are raised above the live rolls and the log then released by the dogs and permitted to fall fromthe log carriage upon the skid bars, after which it is turnedoverto the desired position by suitable means such as a steam nigger and shoved against the knees for the dogs and again held firmly in position by the latter for further cutting. The skid bars are thenlowered to a position below the topfof the live rolls to permit the boards which are sawed 0d to fall upon the latter andto be conveyed away therebyto the place desired. In handling heavy timber difiiculty has been experienced heretofore by breakage of the actuating mechanism for the skid bars due to the great impact thereon of the logs when theyare permitted to fall over from the log carriage upon the skid bars in turning the log to reposition itupon the log carriage. This difficulty has been due largely to the fact that the various parts comprising the mechanism for raising and lowering the skid bars have heretofore been rigidly connectedwit-h each other so that they are subjected to'the full force of the impact of the log upon the skid bars. One of the objects of the present invention, therefore, is to provide improved actuating mechanism for the skid bars in sawmills having yieldable means adapted to provide a cushion to absorb the impact ofthe'log on the skid bars and to protect the actuating mechanism for the latter againstbreakage due to any impact caused by engagement of the log with the skid bars.

Another object is to provide improved means for supporting sawmill skid bars in Serial No. 52,518.

such wise that said bars shall be capable of parallel motion in a vertical plane whereby the movement of the supporting means required to position the bars above "and below the tops of the live rolls is considerably less than a like movement of the skid bar sup porting means used heretofore.

@ther objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. 7

, v For the purpose of illustrating the invention an embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse, sectional view through a sawmill, showing the improved mechanism for raising and lowering the skid bars, the section being taken on line 11 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1, some of the parts being removed;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the skid bars lowered to a position below the tops of the live rolls;

Fig. 4 is a section on line H of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The log 1 is rolled down the log deck 2 and is discharged th-erefromwith considerable force by means of the log loader 3, the log rolling over the members or skid bars 4 and upon the head blocks 5 of the log carriage and against the knees 6. The log is held firmly in proper position by means of the dogs supported by knees 6 and is cut to the desired amount in the usual manner, the skid bars 4 having previously been lowered to the position thereof shown in Fig. 3 to permit the boards to fall upon the tops of the live rolls 7 and to be removed thereby. When it is desired to turn the log and change the position thereof on the log carriage, the skid bars 4 are raised to the position thereof shown in Fig. 1, in which position they are above the tops of live rolls 7 and the dogs actuated to release the log to permit the latter to fall from the carriage upon the skid bars, the latter thereby protecting the rolls from engagement by the log.

The skid cars or members 4: may be supported for parallel movement in a vertical plane by means of links 8 and 9 pivotally connected at their upper ends to the ends of bars 4, links 8 being pivotally mounted at the lower end thereof in a fixed bearing 10. The means shown in F 1 for raising and lowering the skid bars comprises a rod 11 connected to links 8 and to an arm 12 fixed on shaft 13, the latter being rotated in either direction by means of a suitable steam cylinder 1-1 connected by means of a rod 15 to an arm 16 also fixed to shaft 13, fluid under pressure being admitted to and exhausted from the underside of the piston 17 by means of a suitable valve device 18 controlled by a rod 20 moved by the operator.

An element or bar 21 is pivotally connected at the upper end thereof by means of a pin 22 to the lower ends of links 9 and is guided for vertical reciprocatory movement by means of a suitable guiding member 23 through which it loosely passes, bar 21 being in alignment with links '9 when skid bars 4 are raised, as shown in Fig. 1. The lower end of bar 21 is pivotally connected by means of a pin 24 to a plate 25 yieldably held in spaced relation above a similar plate 26 by means of a nest of springs 27, the latter being preferably nested or arranged as shown in Fig. 5 and held in position by means of legs 28 formed integral- 1y with plates 25 and 26 and extending part way into opposite ends of the springs. By using a nest of springs the weight is distributed over a larger area and the size and strength of each spring is considerably less than would be the case if only one spring were used.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the skid bars or members 4 are raised above the tops of live rolls 7 and log 29 dropped from the log carriage upon the adjacent ends of the skid bars, which ends are supported by links 9, bar 21 and the yieldable means or springs 27, the latter will absorb the shock or impact which would otherwise be placed upon link 9, springs 27 thereby providing a cushion for the supporting means for the skid bars and preventing dam age to the same which has heretofore occurred in handling heavy timber. The downward thrust upon springs 27 and bar 21 will be directly in line with the latter since the same is in alignment with links 9 when skid bars 4 are raised, as shown in Fig. 1. It will further be seen that the yieldable means or springs 27 and parts associated therewith may readily be applied to the mechanism used heretofore for raising and lowering the skid bars, and that the cushion or spring attachment is simple in construction and may be manufactured at a comparatively small cost. Although the yieldable means or springs 27 and parts associated therewith have been shown and described as being applied to skid bars in sawmills, the invention is not necessarily limited to this particular application and, of course, may be used in connection with any other log-supporting members such as the skid bars, to absorb the shock caused by the engagement of heavy timber therewith.

The means or links 8 and 9 for supporting the skid bars 4 for parallel motion in a vertical plane may, of course, be used without the cushioning means or springs 27. By supporting the skid bars in the manner described above for parallel motion in a vertical plane, the movement of the supporting means required to position the bars above and below the tops of live rolls 7 is considerably less than a like movement of the skid bar supporting means used heretofore.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, but of course various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

The invention claimed is 1. The combination with a sawmill log carriage, and a member arranged adjacent thereto for receiving and supporting a log during movement of the latter toward and away from said carriage, of links pivotally connected to said member at each end thereof and arranged to support the same for parallel movement, and means for effecting said movement of said member.

2. In combination, a log deck, a log carriage, skid bars and conveyor rolls disposed therebetween, means supporting said bars for parallel motion in a vertical plane to positions above and below said rolls, and cushioning means for one end of each of said bars.

3. In combination, a sawmill log carriage, skid bars disposed alongside the carriage, means for positively supporting the ends of the skid bars remote from the log carriage, means for yieldably supporting the ends of the skid bars adjacent the log carriage and means independent of said last named means for raising and lowering the skid bars.

4. In combination, a sawmill log carriage, conveyor rolls disposed alongside the carriage, skid bars disposed between the conveyor rolls, links having their upper ends pivotally connected to the ends of the skid bars remote from the carriage, means for positively and pivotally supporting the lower ends of said links, similar links having their upper ends pivotally connected to the ends of the skid bars located adjacent the log carriage, supporting members having their upper ends pivotally connected to the lower ends of said last mentioned links, means for constraining the supporting members to reciprocatory movement, spring means afiording yieldable mounting for the lower ends of said supporting members and means coacting with the first mentioned links for raising and lowering the skid bars.

5. In combination, a sawmill log carriage, skid bars disposed alongside said carriage,

means for yieldably supporting the skid bars and means for raising and lowering the skid bars.

6. In combination, skid bars for use with sawmill equipment, links for mounting said skid bars for parallel motion in a vertical plane, means for yieldably supporting at least certain of the links, and means for raising and lowering the skid bars.

7. In combination, a sawmill log carriage, skid bars disposed alongside said carriage,

supporting members connected with the portions of the skid bars located adjacent the carriage, means for constraining the supporting members to reciprocatory movement and spring means for yieldably sustaining the supporting members.

8. In combination, a sawmill log carriage, skid bars disposed alongside said carriage, supporting members connected with the portions of the skid bars located adjacent the carriage, means for constraining the supporting members to reciprocatory movement and spring means for yieldably sustaining the supporting members, and including nests of coil springs and plates pivoted to the sup- 1 porting members and engaged with the coil springs.

In witness whereof I hereto aifix my signature.

GEORGE M. PELTON. 

